A former government minister in Singapore was sentenced to one year in prison on Thursday in a rare graft case that has transfixed the affluent city-state.
The minister, S. Iswaran, who oversaw transportation, last week pleaded guilty to accepting gifts as a public servant and to obstructing justice. He had been accused of accepting tickets to the play “Hamilton,” for soccer games in England and for a Formula 1 race in Singapore, along with other items. In total, he accepted gifts valued at 403,000 Singapore dollars, about $312,000.
It was the first conviction of a former cabinet member in Singapore in nearly 50 years. Mr. Iswaran’s sentence exceeded the six- to seven-month term that prosecutors had sought. He has to surrender to the authorities on Monday.
The case was the latest in a series of scandals for the governing People’s Action Party, which has held power for more than six decades on the promise that it can deliver economic progress while upholding integrity. It has largely succeeded in doing so, but in the last 18 months, the speaker of Parliament, a P.A.P. appointee, has resigned over an extramarital affair with a lawmaker, and the real estate dealings of two other ministers have generated controversy.
The charges against Mr. Iswaran were filed in January, and he resigned as transportation minister shortly after.
His case held the promise of a long and dramatic trial, as Mr. Iswaran promised to fight the charges. He had been accused of corruption, but last week he pleaded guilty to five lesser charges. A swift conclusion to Mr. Iswaran’s case will likely smooth the way for the P.A.P. before the next general election, which has to be held by November 2025.
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